Business Leaders for Michigan is an organization dedicated to making Michigan a "Top Ten" state for jobs, personal income and a healthy economy. Serving as the state's business roundtable, Business Leaders for Michigan is composed of the chairpersons, chief executives or most senior executives of the state’s largest job providers and universities. Read more...

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The 2015 legislative session is already underway, and it's clear that state lawmakers and the Governor have a busy year planned. So do we.

There's no time to lose when it comes to implementing The Michigan Turnaround Plan. In fact, we must act more aggressively than ever to boost jobs and incomes. We need to invest in the assets that matter most, our transportation and higher education infrastructure, and take steps to cement the gains we've made so far.

BLM is a strong supporter of this May's road funding ballot proposal. We're also pushing hard for increased funding for job training and the state's colleges and universities. We applaud the Governor's 2016 budget recommendation because it recognizes the importance of these things in boosting incomes and growing jobs. Our agenda also includes ongoing work to ensure support for the growth of New Michigan industries like life sciences, mobility, engineering, natural resources, and logistics. We are aggressively working to help grow the things that matter most-transforming Michigan into a center for innovation and an aspirational destination for all.

It's going to be an exciting year as Michigan takes more steps toward its future as a Top Ten state.

We can all have a role in Michigan's turnaround! On November 4th, we will choose a Governor and legislative leaders to guide our state and support the Michigan Turnaround Plan (MTP). The MTP is a blueprint with real solutions to make MI a Top Ten state for jobs, incomes, and a healthy economy.

Thanks to Governor Snyder and our legislative leaders, much of the MTP has been addressed. State government finances are more stable. Changes to our tax system have reduced the burden for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Long-term debt has been reduced. Unnecessary regulations have been eliminated. Jobs, personal income and population are on the rise. But we still have work ahead to make MI a Top Ten state.

We examined the voting records and responses to our MTP questionnaire to determine candidate support for the MTP. Click here to see where the candidates stand on the Michigan Turnaround Plan. MI's turnaround has started. It's important we choose leaders who will keep our great state moving forward.

BLM rolls out new Michigan Turnaround Plan and public awareness campaign

DETROIT, Mich., April 3, 2014 — Five years after the launch of its strategy for growing Michigan’s economy, Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) today unveiled plans for continuing the state’s progress toward more jobs, higher incomes, and a healthy economy.

"About one-third of the original Michigan Turnaround Plan has been accomplished, with impressive results,” said Jeff M. Fettig, Chair, Board of Directors, Business Leaders for Michigan and Chairman & CEO, Whirlpool Corporation. “Michigan’s made significant gains in employment and income growth, and our GDP and population are coming back up too. But our competitors in the U.S. and across the world aren’t standing still. We’ve got to pivot, refresh, and realign behind an updated strategy that reflects current realities.”

The updated Michigan Turnaround Plan (MTP) is a fact-based roadmap to help Michigan become a Top Ten economic competitor. First released in 2009, the MTP was developed by the state’s top business and education leaders.

The Michigan Turnaround Plan recognizes the importance of making investments to grow the economy, but also the need to prioritize them on growing talent and building infrastructure while paying down debt. The Governor's FY15 Budget Recommendation will give more kids a chance to start school ready to learn, increase college affordability, provide more workers the technical training they need, fix more of our roads and reduce future fiscal liabilities.

The Executive Recommendation recognizes that MI needs more workers with an education beyond high school than ever before by strategically investing in higher education. It proposes increasing funding for our colleges and universities by $8.9 million and $80.3 million, respectively - tied to performance measures, including controlling college costs. The additional dollars would be allocated based on how well each meets rigorous performance metrics.

BLM's view: The Executive Recommendation is a sound budget proposal that reflects how Top Ten states prioritize state spending to grow the economy. We urge the Legislature to support it as it not only serves our students and families well but also ensures MI has the future talent it needs.

It's the time of year when we reflect on what's been accomplished and what's left to do on our respective agendas. At Business Leaders for Michigan, we're excited about the progress MI is making to grow the economy. While we still have work ahead to reach our goal of becoming a Top Ten state, a number of Michigan Turnaround Plan objectives have been met.

During the past year, the state's policy leaders have made strategic decisions necessary to strengthen the state's fiscal foundation. For the third consecutive year, the budget passed and signed into law was based on a two-year plan. In a move toward more efficient and effective public service, the Regional Prosperity Initiative was enacted to encourage regions to collaborate and promote economic growth. To give our children a better chance at success, our policy makers included funding to provide more under-served children access to early childhood education programs, continued implementation of the Common Core State Standards which will prepare our students for careers and college, and provided additional performance funding for our state universities. Earlier actions have made MI more competitive, including reducing state debt, reducing taxes for small and medium-sized businesses, and reducing obsolete or unnecessary regulations.

Our most recent Benchmarking Report tells the story of a state that is recovering faster than most other states. MI's tax climate has flipped from one of the nation's worst to one of the best, and we remain a national leader in R & D and talent production. MI produces 30% more patents, our universities generate about 30% more research and development, and the value of our exports is 50% more than Top Ten states. Our capacity to innovate positions us well to provide more of what the world needs - a key characteristic of Top Ten states.

We will continue to develop strategies that boost our state's leadership in areas such as mobility, engineering, natural resources, and the life sciences. Registration is now open for ourLeadership Summit: Building a New Michigan on March 10, 2014 where we will showcase progress being made to leverage the state's unique strengths and ultimately create more jobs.